Christa Speekmann
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 9:30-10:00
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing a comprehensive review and modernization of the regulations on the importation of plants for planting and propagation (nursery stock). Appropriately mitigating the risks of quarantine pest introduction associated with the importation of plants for planting is important because quarantine pests, including noxious weeds, introduced via imported plants for planting are more likely to become established than pests introduced via other imported commodities such as fruits and vegetables. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has begun the revision of these regulations, familiarly known as Quarantine 37 (Q-37), by planning several measures that will reduce risk while minimizing adverse economic impacts. Implementation will occur incrementally, starting with the creation of a new category of regulated plants, those not authorized for importation pending pest risk analysis (NAPPRA). The NAPPRA category will consist of two components, pest plants and plant hosts of quarantine pests. The pest plant component of NAPPRA would dramatically increase the number of plants regulated as potentially invasive species. Other early phases of the revision include a structural reorganization and consolidation of the regulations that affect plants for planting, implementation of a regulatory systems approach protocol to reduce pest risk offshore, and a revision of the current Departmental Permit system to reflect current practices and appropriate levels of safeguarding. In the United States, the noxious weed regulations are separate from the nursery stock regulations and APHIS completes a comprehensive risk analysis to add a plant to the noxious weed list.
Keywords: NURSERY STOCK QUARANTINE, Q-37, NAPPRA, FEDERAL NOXIOUS WEEDS